Pattaya City, Thailand (Sports Network) - Last year's runner-up Maria
Kirilenko was among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $235,000 Pattaya Open
hardcourt tennis event.
The second-seeded Kirilenko got past Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3, 7-5
on a rainy day at Dusit Thani Hotel.
Up next for Kirilenko will be Thai wild card Luksika Kumkhum.
The Russian Kirilenko lost to Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova in last year's
Pattaya City finale. The two-time defending champion Hantuchova, seeded sixth
this week, was scheduled to play Russian Olga Puchkova on Tuesday, but rain
forced a postponement of that match.
Also on Day 2, Japan's Ayumi Morita was leading top-seeded former world No. 1
Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 5-7, 2-1 when play was called.
In other opening-round action involving seeds, No. 4 Sorana Cirstea of Romania
doused American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1, 6-3; No. 5 Sabine Lisicki
of Germany whipped German Tatjana Malek 6-2, 6-3; and No. 8 Heather Watson of
Great Britain was pasting Timea Babos 6-1, 3-0 when the Hungarian retired from
the bout.
Seventh-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina was ahead of Greek Eleni Daniilidou 6-2,
1-0 when play was stopped because of inclement weather.
Additional first-round wins came for the aforementioned Kumkhum, Latvian
qualifier Anastasija Sevastova, Aussie qualifier Anastasia Rodionova,
42-year-old Japanese Kimiko Date-Krumm, and Russian Nina Bratchikova.
This week's winner will collect $40,000.
The Sports Network